Born of Ash
by chipmunk ninja
Summary: Kakashi finds a small child in desperate need of help. What can he do to rescue her from the nightmare she has lived in since the day she was born and how will it affect the rest of his life.
1. Name Change

A/N: Hello all! If you read this the first time it was up, thank you for returning and welcome to all of you joining us for the first time. This was my first ever fanfiction, but is now reciving a major face lift and is … how do you put it … a LOT better. I am super pleased with this revised version and it has a lot of new surprises for those of you who read the original.

So don't own Naruto. Never have and never will.

Warnings:

Um this chapter has some child abuse (not to graphic)

And mentions death

Yeah I got nothing else so please enjoy and review. The next chapter should be up fairly soon.

"NOROIKO!"

A small girl cringed at the sound of her name being shouted. It was never good when he called for her, but it would be worse if she didn't respond. Noroiko, as her father called her, had long brown hair that was matted and almost grey with dirt and ash and bright orange eyes. Her only clothing was a large t-shirt that was just as dirty as the rest of her and littered with holes. She looked to be about four or five with sunken in cheeks and a round belly. She slowly rose from the fireplace that served as her room and hurried to her father's study before he could be put in a worse mood. The child darted into the room and knelt in front of the man's chair with her head bowed.

"Hello there curse child" the man mocked. She kept her head bent, never looking into his angry face. Sir, the only name the child was allowed to call him, was a tall man, standing over six foot, with well-defined muscles. He had short black hair with a slight wave to it. He appeared friendly and welcoming to all but the small child in front of him. "You've had it pretty good lately haven't you, you little rat." He waited for a reaction, but the child sat still as if made of stone. "Well the fun is over" he stated calmly. When he again received no reaction he backhanded the child hard across the face. "I found some dust in the attic" he taunted as he kicked her in the stomach. "You know I expect to find not even a speck of dirt in this house when I come home and yet you can't even do that right. You've been shirking your responsibilities again" he snapped with a cold sneer. The child remained silent knowing any sound would give him excuse to continue the beating longer.

Finally he grew bored and grabbed the girl by the hair. Tears began to prickle her eyes as her hair caught all of her weight, but she refused to let them fall. He dragged the child up the stairs and toward her "room". That is when she started to tremble. It was a well-known fact within the household that whenever he took the child to the fireplace it meant big trouble. Sometimes he would start a fire in the fireplace when the child wasn't around. This wasn't near as bad seeing as the fire would normally go out before she had to go in and she wouldn't get burned badly. He threw in a few logs and began to work on building a fire. As he worked on the fire he muttered about stupid, cursed children and promises.

When he had a strong fire going he grabbed Noroiko's bruised little arm and tossed her in the flames. She hit the back of the fireplace with a sickening smack. An ear piercing scream slipped from her lips that would cause anyone but a demon to weep at the sound. She rolled out of the inferno as quickly as possible only to bring the still burning logs with her. The room had a wooden floor that caught fire almost immediately. "You stupid little girl" her father screamed as he picked her up by the throat. "I don't even care anymore if you die" he said as he hurled the helpless child through the third story window.

_Well this is it; the nightmare is finally over _she thought with a smile just before hitting the ground.

A couple of hours later a man with silver lopsided hair stood over the limp child looking down on her with a man from the village named Jiro. The silver haired man had just finished checking on the girl's condition. She was stable but would need extensive medical care if she had any chance of making a full recovery. "Poor girl, to lose the last of her family in a house fire and barley survive herself" the silver haired man said sadly. He lost his family when he was young and understood the toll it could take on a child. He also knew how hard medical treatments were, having been in the hospital many times in his young life.

"She deserves it anyway" Jiro huffed.

The silver haired man cocked his head to the side "why do you say that?"

"She's cursed. Can't you just get rid of her Kakashi, you are a ninja right?"

"How is she cursed" Kakashi asked as he knelt down to brush the girl's bangs from her face.

"Her eyes glow. We 'took care' of her mother for the same thing." Jiro said in a matter of fact way. Kakashi motioned for him to continue while again checking on the child. "The girl was really sick and almost died after she was born. That woman's eyes then started to glow and she healed the little monster. Obviously we can't have someone carrying a curse walking around the village. So, she had to be put to death. Her husband, a good and honest man, knew nothing about the events that led up to this. Before he could be told, the woman made him promise to raise the child should something ever happen to her. When our village leaders came for her, he had already made that promise. They had planned to take the girls life as well because once she opened her eyes it was plain to see that she had inherited the same cursed eyes as her mother. The problem was her mother had tricked her father into making that promise and he was too good of a man to go back on his word. Plus, no one was willing to be the one to actually take the life of a helpless child anyway. The village decided he would raise the child until she turned thirteen, at which time she would be put to death."

"What will the village do to her now" Kakashi asked with hardened eyes.

"My guess, just leave her where she is; she will die sooner or later" Jiro answered nonchalantly.

"What's her name" Kakashi questioned, gently gathering the child in his arms and slowly rising to his full height.

"Noroiko" Jiro laughed.

Kakashi shook his head with a sad sigh. "I'll be taking her with me" he said, giving the other man a harsh glare before turning to go home. As he swiftly leapt from tree to tree, Kakashi pondered the humanity of the village he just left. As he looked at the fragile face covered in burns resting against his chest, Kakashi decided that to name one's own daughter curse child had to be one of the worst things he had ever heard of someone doing, and he heard a lot in his line of work.

The girl lay in a hospital bed hooked up to monitors, ivs, and oxygen. On one side of her bed sat a table with a beautiful white lily in a vase and a couple of picture books. On the other side an elderly man sat listening to Kakashi who stood in front of him.

"How could everyone in that village be ok with what was going on? I mean someone has to have a sense of decency that lives there" Kakashi rambled as he paced around the room.

"I know you're upset Kakashi, but I'm sure they had their reasons. Now then, if you could calm down, we need to decide what to do with the girl" the older man said in a frustrated tone. It had been two days since Kakashi stumbled into the village with the unconscious child in his arms. Kakashi sprinted the whole way back and turned what should have been at least a two day trip into one. By the time he made it back he was near chakra exhaustion, but his effort had saved the girl.

"I'm sorry Lord Hokage. I know outsiders are supposed to have permission before entering the village, but I couldn't just leave her there" Kakashi sighed as he sat down in another chair. The Hokage and Kakashi had yet to come up with any sort of plan for the child. Part of the reason was Kakashi's condition when he entered the village and another part was his inability to discuss the topic without getting worked up.

"No it's ok. To be honest, I would have done the same thing" The Hokage said as he too sighed. With that, the tension in the room seemed to ease. "Now then, back to this curse business. The villager told you her eyes glow; is that correct?"

"That is correct sir. They also said her mother's did as well" Kakashi said, almost like a report.

"It sounds like some sort of kekkei genkai to me. Maybe a twist off the Sharingan or Byakugan" The Hokage concluded.

"They did this to her because of that? I knew some villages persecuted those with a kekkei genkai, but I didn't know it was this bad" Kakashi said horrified.

"Sadly yes" The Hokage confirmed, shaking his head.

A nurse entered the room a moment later. "You can try and wake her now" she said. They both nodded before Kakashi stood and walked over to the sleeping child.

"Hey their sweetie, time to wake up" said a very concerned Kakashi as he gently shook her shoulder. With that, she slowly began to open her eyes. She squinted against the light before her eyes adjusted and then looked around the room, paying careful attention to the people present. The nurse checked a few machines before leaving again. "How are you feeling" Kakashi asked as he reached toward the small child. In response she promptly retreated into the pillows. Kakashi and the Hokage shared a concerned look before turning back to the one on the bed.

"We won't hurt you, I promise. I'm the Hokage, your rescuer here is Kakashi, and you're in a village called Konoha. It is a village with ninja like Kakashi here. We want to help you" the Hokage said very gently. "How old are you honey?" She stared at them blankly, too afraid to answer. "Is it alright if we try and guess?" She nodded her head just enough for them to see.

"Are you 4?" asked Kakashi. She shook her head. "Younger" he asked, raising his visible eyebrow. Again she shook her head. "I didn't think so, but wanted to make sure. How about 5...no. 6...no. 7?" This time she nodded in the affirmative. Kakashi turned to the Hokage astonished.

"Are you able to eat very often" asked the Hokage with a bit more concern in his voice. Not sure what he meant by often, the child waited. "Do you eat everyday" he asked, now sounding just as worried as Kakashi. Ashamed, she looked at the blankets and shook her head. The Hokage turned to Kakashi "that's why she is so small. It's common for malnutrition to stunt a child's growth, although this is one of the most severe cases I have seen." Turning his attention back to the child "there is something else bothering me. Would you mind if we changed your name?" It was her turn to be surprised. Her father gave her that name so she would never forget the pain she caused and now she couldn't understand why she should have anything else.

They both chuckled softly seeing her shocked expression. "I'll take that as a go ahead. Kakashi why don't you pick" the Hokage said lightly.

Kakashi paused, slightly embarrassed. "Well I did have something in mind. Rie, it means valued blessing, because that's what I believe you will be to this village" he said looking at the floor instead of the child he was addressing.

"I think it's perfect," said the Hokage brightly, "but more importantly what do you think?"

"Really?" It was barely above a whisper, but the sound amazed even the small figure that uttered it. When the men recovered from their shock, they laughed again.

"Of course" they both responded smiling.

"Now that that is settled, I have some work to catch up on and you little missy need to rest. I will be by later to check on you and we can talk some more then. As for you Kakashi, get some sleep; you haven't left this room since you got back for your mission."

Over the next few weeks Rie began to trust Kakashi and the Hokage, but that was it. If anyone else entered her room she'd go into a near panic attack. It turns out her kekkei genkai was called Gyoshi-ho, meaning healing eyes. To the child's surprise they were happy about it.

One afternoon Rie was sitting in bed snuggling Aiko, the teddy bear the Hokage gave her, with Kakashi asleep in the chair next to the bed. Kakashi rarely left Rie and even if she was still weary of him, she was grateful. The Hokage came in waking Kakashi, making him fall out of the chair. Rie silently giggled as he got up, still looking half asleep.

"We have something to talk to you about, Rie" the Hokage started as he sat at the foot of the hospital bed. "Tomorrow you are being released from the hospital. Your wounds are almost healed, but I am sorry to say you are going to be left with many scars." This didn't mean much to the child as she had always had scars; her dad saw to that. "The other thing is that you need a place to stay." He glanced at Kakashi to continue.

"If it's alright with you I want to adopt you. I know I'm a little young, but I want to be there for you. That would make you my daughter and me your dad." Rie flinched slightly at the word, so he quickly added "but you don't have to call me that. I want to take care of you and make sure nothing like this happens again." He paused looking nervous. "What do you say?"

After some hesitation, she agreed.


	2. Starting Fresh

AN: I meant to have this up Monday, but I was behind and then my beta couldn't look at it yesterday. So, sorry for the slight delay. I'm really happy that you enjoyed the first chapter and a huge thank you to Silent767 and bored411. The two of you are my new favorites and this chapter is dedicated to you. Please continue to review and hopefully the next chapter will be up by this time next week.

Again, in case it wasn't already completely obvious, I don't own Naruto.

/

It has been five years since Kakashi adopted Rie and he has kept to his word and been a wonderful father. He is over protective and often loses his cool appearance when around the young girl. He didn't really want Rie being a ninja, afraid of her getting hurt, but supported her anyway.

Rie is now 12, but the way she lived before coming to Konoha shows. Once she received medical treatment and started a proper diet Rie began to grow, but is still only about the size of an eight year old. She has messy brown hair, which she wears lose and over her face. The Gyoshi-ho gives her bright orange eyes that glow when activated. She wears khaki cargo shorts and a purple and yellow t-shirt. Her arms and legs are covered in bandages to cover the scares. Rie got tired of all the weird looks she got because of the trauma so she started wearing a cloak with a hood that is white with purple swirls at the bottom. Never having owned shoes before coming to Konoha, Rie still refuses to wear them.

Rie would often stay with the Hokage and had even started calling him Grandpa a few years back. Whenever He kept her he would also keep Konohamaru so the two could play together; causing them to form a close friendship. Iruka and Kurenai also watched Rie while she was growing up. Kurenai was around because both Kakashi and the Hokage felt that Rie needed a female role model to look up to and she was one of the few that Kakashi would even half-way trust with his daughter. Iruka started watching Rie in hopes that she could enter the academy once she got used to him. Even though this never worked out the two got along great once Rie began to trust him a little. Deciding Rie needed interaction with children her own age Iruka introduced Rie to Naruto. At first Iruka feared the children were going to break out in an all-out war. Naruto's bold personality scared Rie causing her to act cold and push the boy away. Naruto found Rie weird and was hurt by her dismissal of him causing him to act out even more in her presence. Iruka was finally able to get Rie to speak to Naruto instead of just shutting down in his presence and once that happened, the two become best friends.

"Are you sure she is really ready to join a team" a worried Kakashi asked the village leader.

"It's time Kakashi. She is one of the most talented ninja of her age and the Gyoshi-ho makes her an amazing medic" stated the Hokage.

"I know her time training at the hospital was valuable, but can you honestly tell me you're not worried. She means almost as much to you as she does me" Kakashi farther protested. Rie was never emotionally stable enough to attend ninja academy, but between her Gyoshi-ho and training with Iruka and Kakashi she was able to pass and become a medical genin a year early.

The Hokage sighed "your right, I am worried, but I am also the Hokage and I have to consider what is best for the village. The village needs her. The day she woke up you gave her the wish of being a valued blessing, it is time for her to fulfill that wish."

"Fine, but what team" Kakashi conceded.

"I thought of putting her on your team, but Sasuke who is known to have a fire affinity is already on it. She isn't ready to be on a team with someone who has the possibility of using fire ninjutsu." Though Rie was able to recover from most of what happened to her before coming to Konoha she still had intense fear of fire. "Besides, we would both be accused of showing favoritism if Rie was on your team. Kurenai is not experienced enough yet to have a team of four. I think with Rie's skill and because she is a medic she needs to be on one of the already formed genin teams." Kakashi looked like he was about to protest so the Hokage added. "Of course they will only be on missions within the village for a while."

"You are probably right; which team do you have in mind?" Kakashi asked as a green shadow burst into the room.

/

Kakashi and Rie were on the way to meet with Rie's new team. The Hokage had told her a couple of weeks ago that she would join a team after this year's graduation exam. Rie had been classified as a genin for a year now, but it was decided that she would work at the hospital for a year before joining a team.

"You meet your team today right" Rie asked her father. Kakashi had been in a bad mood since his meeting with the Hokage the day before and Rie was trying to strike up a conversation to cheer him up.

"Yeah, so I probably won't be able to come and get you after training today. I can send Iruka, he doesn't have any classes today" Kakashi said looking at his daughter worriedly.

"Oh come on. For crying out loud, I'm a ninja; I can walk home by myself" Rie said jumping off of Kakashi's shoulders were she had been riding.

"I'm sorry Rie, I'm just worried something will happen" Kakashi said looking at the ground instead of the child he was addressing.

"I know" she answered smiling brightly at her caregiver.

Kakashi returned the smile as they reached the training ground. "I'll have a word with Guy real fast, but then I have to be on my way" he said patting Rie on the head. A strange looking man in a green jump suit and a boy dressed just like him were the only other ones there so far. "Guy can I have a word with you" Kakashi said as he walked past the taller man. As they walked away Rie observed her teammate and captain thinking about what an odd team she had been placed on.

As soon as he got out of ear shot Kakashi turned to Guy. "If anything happens to Rie the Hokage and I both will be after your head" Kakashi stated coldly with an evil glint in his eye. He then turned and started back toward the waiting genin.

Guy gulped before following. "It's great to see you so passionate and youthful Kakashi" he said giving him his famous nice guy smile as they approached his students.

"Huh, did you say something Guy" Kakashi said looking board. Rie giggled in her head at Kakashi's remark and Guy sulked. "Be good" he said again patting Rie on the head before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"So this is my rival's daughter, Rie" Guy said appraising his newest charge.

"Your eyes are so beautiful … mfhg" Lee said, being cut off by Guy covering his mouth.

"Now Lee you don't want to do or say anything that will have her dad and grandpa after us." He continued as Lee took notes and Rie stopped paying attention.

Rie sat on the ground watching this utterly confusing scene when a girl walked up to her. "Hey there honey, what are you doing out here." Rie crossed her arms and gave the girl a nasty stare. Rie hated it when someone confused her with a little kid.

The other two turned their attention back to Rie when they heard the girl's comment. "Oh, no TenTen this is our new team member Guy sensei told us would be coming. Her name is Rie." Lee then looked his new teammate up and down before turning back to TenTen "but you are right, she is the size of a kid." Rie then switched to trying to glare holes through his head instead of TenTen's.

TenTen was apologizing as another boy entered the meadow. He had lavender eyes that Rie couldn't take her eyes off of. _They are different just like mine _she thought as he came closer_._ Lee made the introductions as she puzzled over the similarity.

"Are you any good" this Neji asked. Rie shrugged.

"I was told you were a medic Rie" Guy asked. Rie just nodded. "How about we all tell her about ourselves" Guy suggested seeing he wasn't getting anywhere with his smallest student. They all went through their introductions before they all turned their attention back on Rie. "Your turn" Guy prompted after a long pause

Rie just stared at them until Lee finally blurted "well are you going to talk or not." Rie shook her head. Very few people in the village have actually heard Rie speak and most thought the small child was mute.They all looked at Rie in surprise, even Neji though he quickly covered his; compared to the other three who just gaped at her.

"Well we can just find out as we go" Guy said when he recovered from his shock. Guy and Lee started what appeared to be an argument about who would figure out the most about their silent teammate first. The rest of the team just watched until Guy realized he had never dismissed his team. "Go home and get some rest I want you all to be youthful for some sparring matches tomorrow" he cheered.

Rie turned and started toward home until Neji came up beside her. "I saw Iruka on the way here this morning and he wants me to take you home." Rie cocked her head to one side in a questioning manner. "Your dad asked him to, but he was behind with grading papers." Rie sighed as she headed for home with Neji beside her. The two walked in silence with arms crossed.

Rie knew it would be a while before Kakashi came home so she decided to fix something to eat. She ended up settling on some ramen. Because of Naruto it was one of her favorites. As Rie ate she kept picturing Neji's eyes. Rie had never seen anyone besides herself and Kakashi's with a dojutsu. She knew about the Sharingan from Kakashi, but it had been determined that her Gyoshi-ho had no connection to the Sharingan.

It was starting to get dark by the time Kakashi came home. Rie was lying on the couch reading a book as he came in the door. "Sorry it's so late. I was on my way home when I saw that the school was on fire and I had to put it out."

Rie rolled her eyes sighing. "You can tell me you went to see Obito. I know that's where you were any way" Rie said sitting up. He sweat dropped at Rie's straightforward response. "Can we go watch the fireflies" Rie said looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. He nodded causing Rie to grab his hand and go running out the door.

They went to Rie's favorite hill. It had a beautiful meadow with lots of wild flowers and was surrounded by a forest. Kakashi sat back against a tree with his book and Rie ran around trying to catch the lighted insects. Rie still maintained a very childlike side; the Hokage believed it was because she missed out on having a real childhood before coming to Konoha.

Rie soon got dizzy from running in circles and went to sit next to Kakashi. He put up his book and gazed fondly at the girl. "So how do you like your team" he questioned after a few moments of content silence.

"They are fine I guess, but I'm not sure what a good team is like, so it's hard to tell. Oh, I wanted to ask you about something. This boy on my team has lavender eyes."

"That must be the Hyuga. They have a Dojutsu like us called the Byakugan. Now then if you are done can we go home?"

Rie took off running again "wait I have to catch a few more." Kakashi chuckled, knowing what her response was going to be and went back to his book.

/

"OK let's start with the girls. Show us what you've got Rie" Guy shouted. Lee and Guy started cheering as Rie and TenTen got into a fighting stance and Neji watched with little interest.

"Don't worry I'll go easy on you" TenTen smirked. Rie gave an annoyed growl at being taken so lightly. As soon as Guy shouted go TenTen took out weapons and started toward her opponent. Rie jumped back and activated her Gyoshi-ho. When Rie's eyes started glowing it caught TenTen off guard and she hesitated. Rie saw her chance.

Rie quickly scanned TenTen's body. The Gyoshi-ho allowed the user to look at her opponents inner workings; bones, muscles, nerves, etc. and easily find a weak point. Rie quickly found her target. _Got ya. Her left ankle was recently hurt. One well aimed hit and she's done _Rie calculated.

TenTen started her approach again and begin to throw her weapons at the smaller of the two. Rie had to admit she was definitely formidable with her weapons. Rie dodged and blocked slowly getting closer, waiting on her chance to strike.

"Attack already Rie" Lee shouted. Rie sighed, knowing that it was almost time. Just then she was in range. Rie quickly charged and did a crouching kick hitting TenTen in exactly the right spot on her left ankle to take her out of the fight. Rie quickly back flipped away landing with her arms crossed. TenTen took a step to come at Rie again but fell to the ground with a cry clutching her injured ankle.

All three boys were looking at Rie in amazement as she walked back over to TenTen. Rie pushed her into a laying position and went to work healing her ankle. With the Gyoshi-ho still activated Rie could clearly see what was wrong and was easily able to fix it.

"How did she know about TenTen's ankle" Lee asked Guy in utter confusion.

They all walked over to the two girls who were still on the ground as Rie finished up healing TenTen's ankle. "How did you know" Guy asked just as puzzled as Lee. Rie simply pointed to her eyes that were still glowing before standing up and offering TenTen a hand.

She tested her wait on the newly healed limb. "Wow it's as good as new; even better than before the fight!" She went to hug Rie, who backed away crossing her arms. Neji smirked at this and TenTen looked hurt; Guy and Lee were too focused on the healing job to notice.

"Ok, now let's see Lee and Neji! Give it all you've got!" Guy was shouting again. They got into positions as Rie sat on the ground to watch.

They started and surprisingly it looked like Lee was winning. "What's going on" TenTen asked Guy.

"I don't know. Neji is not acting like himself." Guy replied. "Hey Neji, focus" Guy called over to his student. Neji shook his head and then the fight was on.

The fight was over shortly with Neji the victor. They came back over and Lee sat on the ground next to Rie to be healed from the minor injuries the fight had caused him. Lee looked at Neji. "I thought I had you that time. So what were you so distracted about?"

"It was nothing" Neji replied in a cold tone. Unknown to everyone he had been thinking about his orange eyed teammate. Just as puzzled over her eyes as she had been about his the day before.

When Rie was done Lee was giving her a funny look. She cocked her head to the side. "You aren't wearing any shoes!" he said completely shocked. Rie shrugged not understanding why it was a big deal.

"Ok guys good work today. Tomorrow we will meet at the Hokage's office for our first mission as a team of five! You are dismissed" Guy cheered.

Neji walked Rie home again in silence. He left as soon as they reached the front door.


	3. Getting to Know You

A/N: I know this is later then I said, but I had exams and then my beta was sick. Thank you so much Brick, best beta ever. This chapter is dedicated to bored411 for being the only one to review the last chapter. I'm not planning on working on the next chapter until after my birthday, Monday, and Christmas, so don't expect it for about a week and a half.

If you think I own Naruto you can just leave now because it should be more than obvious that I don't.

…

The next morning Rie met her team in front of the Hokage's office. They had to wait to be seen much to the small girl's annoyance. When the team was told they had to wait, Guy and Lee immediately started doing push-ups in the hallway, TenTen sat against the wall cleaning one of her weapons, while Neji just casually leaned against the wall. Rie on the other hand was not as content to wait as her teammates. It had been a while since she had spent time with her Grandpa and she had been looking forward to seeing him, if only for a few moments. When she was told of the wait, the tiny ninja began calmly pacing in front of the Hokage's door. As the wait grew, so did Rie's impatience. Her walk became something close to a combination stomp, run and her face wore a deepening scowl. The rest of team Guy was incredibly curious as to what had their smallest member so worked up, but no one was willing to ask and risk her frustration being turned on them.

Finally, when it was time for team Guy to enter the office, a brown blur zipped past her taller teammates and tackled the Hokage in a tight hug. Iruka, who was sitting next to his aged leader, started chuckling at the child's display. Lee looked to Guy in shock and asked "can she do that?" Neji and TenTen just stared at the odd spectacle in front of them in a slight stupor.

"Well it is her Grandpa so I guess she can" Guy answered shrugging. The older members of team Guy turned to their sensei in complete shock.

The Hokage was too busy asking his granddaughter about her team, with said child nodding in reply, to pay much attention to the confusion of the young ninja in front of him. Neji suddenly blurted "you're the Hokage's granddaughter," catching everyone in the room by surprise. Rie just shrugged, smiling happily atop the Hokage's lap. Neji gave a grunt, obviously embarrassed by his outburst.

The Hokage chuckled "you never change Rie." He then turned to her team "I'm not actually her grandfather. I have helped raise Rie so it was natural for her to start calling me Grandpa." His face then hardened as he became serious. "Now then for your mission … let's see here…how about pulling weeds for Mr. Kanagawa?"

"Right and we will finish in 45 minutes" Guy responded.

"I think we can do it in 30" Lee argued.

"I like the way you think. Let's make it a challenge and do it in 20" Guy continued with growing enthusiasm.

"It will take you two hours" the Hokage said sighing tiredly. After being given the full mission briefing and being dismissed, team Guy turned to leave before the Hokage added "oh and Rie when Guy is finished with you can you go by the hospital? They need your help on a few cases." Rie nodded before following her team out.

The Hokage was right. Mr. Kanagawa had a massive garden. The team's newest member worked as hard as she possibly could, not wanting to be seen as weak or a burden. It was a hot day with no shade to protect the ninja from the merciless rays of the sun. It wasn't long before Lee pushed up his sleeves sweating. "Man it is hot today. Rie why don't you take off your coat" he asked as he reached to help remove his friend's coat. Rie jerked back and slapped his hand away before she even realized what she was doing. Even now when someone reached for her she saw it as a threat. Neji looked at his newest teammate curiously as Lee backed away apologizing profusely.

It took the team two hours just like the Hokage had said. When the job was finished, team Guy went to some nearby trees for a much deserved break. Rie flopped down and hungrily gulped her water. Neji leaned against a tree and TenTen collapsed beside her only female teammate. Guy and Lee were off on another rant that everyone else ignored. After a few minutes TenTen looked over at Rie, "hey you're not wearing shoes again today." Still not understanding the big deal Rie shrugged not giving it much thought.

After a long break, and what Guy dubbed team bonding, all four students lined up in front of their sensei at attention. "Good work today! You all really showed your flames of youth! Now we have the day off tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you don't need to train. You are dismissed" he cheered excitedly.

Rie turned to leave when Neji once again walked up to her. "We have to go by the hospital first today, right" he asked in a board tone. Rie nodded and eyed him suspiciously as he sighed and fell into step beside her.

Rie walked into the hospital and straight to the front desk. "Rie, thank goodness you're here" said a very relieved nurse that was currently manning the desk. "We have a patient with severe muscle damage and we can't see well enough to treat it. We also have a couple broken ribs and a child that swallowed a jar of marbles that we would like for you to take a look at." Rie nodded as she looked over the group of charts handed to her before tilting her head to one side. "They are all three in outpatient" she answered Rie's unasked question. Rie nodded, still not looking up from the charts, and tilted her head a little farther. "Oh yes, he is in room 342 and thank you."

"Wow. They understand you perfectly" Neji said as the two genin walked toward outpatient. Rie shrugged at his comment while wondering if he planned on following her around the hospital.

As the two entered the outpatient wing of the hospital, several doctors and nurses looked up and called a greeting to the small girl and ignored her Hyuga shadow. Rie raised her hand in greeting as she walked to the third curtained off area. She checked the number on the chart before tapping lightly against the curtain. "Come in" a young man called out to the two genin. When the two entered, the man smiled brightly seeing who would be treating him. "Hello Rie" he said in greeting. The girl nodded as she checked his medical id bracelet even though she already knew it was the correct patient. It was protocol and Rie was very good about following orders.

Her patient, Kotetsu Hagane, was a young man with long, spiky, black hair and dark eyes. Neji noticed that he had a strip of bandage running across the bridge of his nose that looked more like a fashion accessory than something for an actual wound. It wasn't rare for Kotetsu and his partner Izumo to do something stupid and manage to get injured. Rie had never seen either one of them seriously injured, but it seemed that one, if not both of them, ended up in outpatient more often than not. In her year at the hospital Rie had treated both of them many times.

Rie gently pushed Kotetsu back so that he was lying down. Broken ribs were not hard to treat, precarious work, but not hard. The staff at the hospital would almost always pass off broken ribs to Rie if she were at the hospital. The fact that they were so close to the lungs made them a little dangerous to treat and Rie's Gyoshi-ho negated what danger there was. As Rie activated her eyes, she saw that Kotetsu only had two fractured ribs that would be a fairly easy fix.

Neji stood in the corner of the curtained off area watching Rie work, looking bored. "Oh Rie, you never introduced me to your boyfriend" Kotetsu said grinning at the two dumbfounded genin.

Neji opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. He shook his head before trying again. "No. I have simply been asked to make sure that Hatake makes it home safely. Nothing more." Rie's hands stilled for a moment at Neji's cold tone before she composed herself and continued to heal Kotetsu.

"Ah you're no fun" Kotetsu said pouting. "Thanks Rie" he said as the girl finished up. "You know this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Izumo."

"Hey" came a startled cry from the other side of the curtain. With a sinking feeling Rie looked at her chart to see that Izumo was the other patient with broken ribs. Rie bemoaned inside her head as she went to the next curtained off area to treat Izumo. Neji and Kotetsu followed after her. "It was not my fault" Izumo said defending himself as the threesome entered.

"Was to" Kotetsu argued childishly as Rie treated his partner. "We were on a mission to take out a group of bandits on the border" he explained. "It went smoothly until the very end when we went to take out the leader. We were going to use a new combination that we had been working on to finish him off. Izumo hesitated, so our timing was off and …"

"It was not my fault" Izumo shouted sitting up. Rie slapped him in the back of the head for moving while being treated. Only one of his ribs was injured, but it was a complete break unlike Kotetsu. If Rie didn't have fast reflexes she could have really hurt him when he jumped up like that. "Sorry" he apologized sheepishly as he lay back down. "Like I said, it wasn't my fault. We just started work on that combination and it was nowhere near battle ready. I tried to tell Kotetsu that, but he just had to charge on in anyway" Izumo said heatedly staring at his teammate.

"You never said we shouldn't use that combination in battle" Kotetsu argued as Rie finished. Rie quickly grabbed Neji's hand and pulled him out of the curtain to escape the fighting Chunin. Once in the hallway Rie dropped his hand without even looking at him and walked down the hall before tapping another curtain.

They went in to find a frazzled father and a hyperactive two year-old boy. The boy was currently climbing up the cabinets, while his father tried to get him to come down before he fell and hurt himself. Rie walked over and, standing on her tiptoes, plucked the toddler from the cabinets and carried him over to the bed. She dropped him with a light thud, causing the boy to giggle.

"I'm so sorry about this" the father said as Rie examined his son. "You see, she took a couple years off after our son was born, but with him in preschool now, she returned to active duty. It's the first time I've been on my own taking care of him and I'm at a loss" he explained.

Rie smiled gently at the man tickling the squirming boy, causing him to go into another giggle fit. When she was done, he laid still allowing her to treat him. It wasn't difficult. All she had to do was make sure that none of the marbles had caused any damage, use her chakra to compress them into a smaller size, and move a few to a better location for them to be passed. Rie smiled at the father–son duo before bowing in farewell and handing his chart to a nurse to be dismissed. He would be fine, but would need to come back in a few days to make sure that all the marbles had passed without incident.

The genin made their way to the third floor to see Rie's last patient of the night. Neji smiled slightly as he looked at his young teammate. "You are really good with children" he said in the warmest tone she had heard from the serious Hyuga. Rie blushed slightly and looked away, not expecting the complement.

Upon reaching the third floor they walked into a room where a jonin was lying on the bed in obvious pain. The nurse in the room handed information to add to his chart. "Hold on, why do you have a kid treating me? This is crazy" the chunin demanded causing Rie to sigh in annoyance.

"Well to be honest, she's one of the best medics in Konoha and she is _not_ as young as she looks" the nurse answered for Rie. Rie activated her Gyoshi-ho and frowned, seeing that it was indeed serious.Rie then tied back her hair as she prepared for a difficult case. The poor Jonin had been hit by a powerful earth jutsu. He was almost crushed to death before his teammates were able to save him. The bones in both of his legs had been crushed, causing bone fragments to dig into his muscles. Rie's job would be to remove the fragments from the muscles because no one else would be able to find all of them.

Neji gawked at her when he saw the severe scaring on her face. She blushed a bit embarrassed by his stare, but quickly covered it and shrugged. Neji turned around with a huff, pretending that he wasn't just staring.

It took a long time, almost three hours before Rie was done. She sat on the floor, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. It had been hard on the patient and both he and Rie were exhausted.

"Well you were right, she is good" the jonin said between huffs. Rie smiled her thanks, leaning her head back against the wall.

"Told you" the nurse bragged. "Rie that's enough for today, good work" she said turning to the downed medic. Rie nodded while beginning to stand, only to fall back on her butt. "You used too much chakra again didn't you" the nurse chided. Rie looked down to avoid making eye contact. "Ok, well you can rest here. I'll let Kakashi know to come get you … again" she said sighing.

"I was supposed walk her home, so I can just take her" Neji suddenly spoke up. Rie had forgotten he was there in her fatigue and was completely caught off guard at his offer.

"If you don't mind that would be great. Make sure and let Kakashi know about her chakra exhaustion though" the nurse said smiling at the brunette.

"Of course" he said picking Rie up bridal style and leapt out the window. He was jumping from roof to roof when he spoke. "You sure are a lot of trouble."

_He didn't have to do it. I don't know why he's upset _Rie grumbled in her head.

"Do you think Kakashi is home yet" Neji asked, arriving at the Hatake door. Rie shook her head as he went inside and gently placed her on the couch. His stomach then grumbled and Rie pointed to the kitchen looking smug. "Its fine, I can eat when I get home" Neji assured, looking away from his petit teammate. Rie just continued pointing, looking just as smug as before. He sighed "fine."

Rie heard him in the kitchen and leaned back to wait on Kakashi.

…...

Rie woke with a start as Kakashi came in the front door. He gave Neji a surprised look, seeing him sitting in the chair looking through a magazine. "Hey … Neji is it?" Neji just nodded. "Did uh, Rie invite you here" he asked, still confused at the Hyuga's presence.

"Not exactly sir. You see, she nearly passed out at the hospital and …" he started.

Kakashi cut him off "again Rie." She avoided his stare.

"I made dinner. Rie made me go get something to eat. So I thought it would be nice" Neji ventured unsure. Rie cocked your head to the side. "Don't give me that look, I really can cook" Neji said giving Rie a mock glare.

"Ok then, let's go eat. I'm starving" Kakashi said picking Rie up and slinging her over his shoulder. Neji smirked seeing this.

Dinner was mostly quiet except for the occasional question from Kakashi. Neji made a wonderful herring soba, which he said was his favorite. Neji left right after dinner, thanking Kakashi for the food.

When Kakashi was tucking Rie in that night he sighed and asked "so you still haven't spoken in front of your team?"

"I'm sorry Kakashi" Rie answered, genuinely apologetic.

"Rie I know this is hard for you, but they are your team. You are going to have to learn to trust them."

"I know" Rie said looking at her quilt.

"At least that Neji kid seems to be able to understand you pretty well. Speaking of which, why was he with you exactly" Kakashi asked, smiling like a goon.

"It's your fault! When you asked Iruka to walk me home he asked Neji" Rie said pointing an accusing finger at her father.

"Oh, sorry about that" Kakashi said lamely.

"It's ok. Good night Kakashi. I love you" she said as Kakashi kissed her on her forehead.

"I love you too Rie. Sweet dreams" and he cut out the light.


	4. Crime and Punishment

A/N: I know, I know. It's really late and I am sorry. I got a case of writer's block and struggled with this chapter. You should be happy it took so long. I added a lot and really like it despite struggling with this chapter. I added a flashback and really want opinions on it. Let me know if you like it and if you want more or want me to avoid them unless necessary. This chapter is dedicated to Harumi-Hime for being the first to review and for her first review.

I own my dog Maggie and my car Ruby, but that's about it. Meaning Naruto is not mine.

…

"But, why" Rie whined.

"Because I said so" Kakashi answered tiredly. Rie started to pout. He sighed, "Rie, you used up all your chakra at the hospital yesterday. If you train today it could do serious damage to your chakra coils. Now finish your breakfast."

"Why can't I leave the house though? I promise I won't train."

"Because, I know you. If you leave the house you will end up training" Kakashi sighed as he cleaned the kitchen.

"But my team is so strong I can't be a burden to them" Rie shouted, standing up and knocking her chair over.

"You won't be a burden; you are really strong already. Now if you insist on leaving the house you can just come with me and watch my team train. No buts. Get ready and we will leave" Kakashi said as he gathered her dishes to wash.

Rie went upstairs and grabbed her cloak, still pouting. The Hatakes live in a small two story house on the edge of the ninja district. To the back of the house was at the beginnings of a forest and close to some of the training fields.

When they stepped out of the house Kakashi scooped up his daughter and put her on his shoulders. Rie scowled, crossing her arms, but knew better than to protest. They headed 'straight' for the training grounds with Rie still sulking.

They arrived late of course. "Why are you so late?" a girl and a voice that Rie recognized shouted as they appeared.

Rie turned and looked, then dive-bombed straight off Kakashi's shoulders and onto an unsuspecting blond. "RIE" Naruto shouted, happily surprised as she glomped him. "What are you doing here and with Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked excitedly as he hugged his smaller friend back.

"Guys, this is my daughter Rie" Kakashi introduced. "Rie this is Sakura, Sasuke, and you seem to already know Naruto. Naruto, how do you know my daughter?" he asked, giving Naruto a calculating stare that the blond seemed completely oblivious to.

"I see her with Iruka sensei sometimes. I guess the subject of her family never really came up" he said laughing. Rie nodded enthusiastically, standing next to him.

"Oh my gosh, she is so cute Kakashi sensei" Sakura squealed. "How old are you honey?"

"She's 2 months older than me" Naruto replied as Rie sent her a nasty look. Sakura sweat-dropped and Sasuke looked somewhat intrigued, but tried to hide it.

"Ok guys, it's time to train. Rie you go over there, sit down, and you had better behave" Kakashi said slightly threateningly. Rie waved her hand as she walked over to the previously indicated tree. "Don't give me that." Rie sat down, once again pouting.

Rie watched them train for a while before growing bored. She started looking around for something to do, knowing it would end up costing her later. Soon a butterfly floated by and Rie was after it.

She chased it through the woods, farther and farther away from team 7 until she heard someone training. She stopped, having her curiosity peaked, and went in search of the noise.

Rie came to a clearing and was surprised to find Neji in the midst of training. He wasn't facing her, but as soon as she came into the clearing he stopped. "Rie? What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting?" he questioned. Rie pointed in the direction she had come from, hoping he would understand. Neji used his Byakugan and saw that she was pointing toward team 7. "Kakashi doesn't know you wondered off does he" he stated, more than asked, with a shake of his head. Rie looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Fine, you can stay, but I'm not taking any of the blame for this one."

Happily Rie sat down on the edge of the clearing to watch him train. The Byakugan still fascinated her, so it was much more interesting than the others. Kakashi had explained how the Byakugan worked, but Rie still found it fun to watch someone else use a dojutsu. The fact that she wasn't being forced also helped to make it more enjoyable.

Rie had been watching Neji for a while when out of nowhere, someone touched her shoulder shouting "What are you doing?!"

Rie squealed and dived to the ground with her hands over her head, convinced she was under attack. Neji ran over, having been too focused on his training to have noticed what had happened. "Gosh Rie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

_What a minute! Naruto?! _Rie thought, recognizing the voice. Rie stood up and punched him hard in the face.

"I said I was sorry" Naruto whined. "Now, we need to hurry. Kakashi sensei is really mad you took off." Rie shook her head, pointing at Neji, who was still completely lost as to what was going on. "What, is this your boyfriend?" Rie punched him again, only harder, before walking off in the direction of her father. Naruto rubbed his shoulder before trotting off after her, leaving a bewildered, though still composed, Neji alone in the clearing.

"She is on my team; she came to watch me train" Neji called, gaining Naruto's attention before he got out of earshot. Naruto turned around, giving Neji a puzzled look. "It's how a team works you loser. Rie, is it alright to go with him?" Neji asked his younger teammate as he sent a suspicious glare at Naruto.

"Of course it is!" Naruto shouted, now angry. Rie grabbed his arm, dragging him back the way he came.

"Let her father know she didn't do anything but watch" Neji again called after the pair.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say" Naruto grumbled as Rie continued to drag him.

They approached team 7's training ground to find a completely ticked Kakashi. "Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, you are dismissed" he said obviously trying to hide his anger. They all left in a hurry, until Naruto turned back.

"That guy wanted me to tell you all she did was watch" he said before he too made a hasty retreat.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME LIKE THIS?!" he roared as he waved his arms around animatedly. Rie backed away, never having seen him this angry. Rie was very obedient and had never done anything but minor offences before. Kakashi was also a major pushover when it came to his daughter and could never stay angry even if she did disobey him.

Kakashi saw the fear on the small child's face and immediately stopped. He turned his head, trying to regain his composure. "Rie calm down" he said, seeing that she was just getting more wound up. He reached toward her, but she just retreated further. "Rie" he said sadly. It had been a long time since he had seen her react this badly to a situation.

He gazed into her distant eyes and his heart broke for his baby girl. Situations like this were very common the first few months after Rie came home from the hospital. With time, Rie began to improve and her reactions became less severe. It was around that time that Kakashi noticed that almost every time Rie would have a major shut down, it was his fault.

That was one of the worst things Kakashi had ever had to face. It ranked right up there with losing his team. To cause the most precious person in his life so much pain and fear nearly broke him. If it wasn't for the Hokage, Kakashi wasn't sure if he would have been able to continue to face his little girl.

Flashback:

Kakashi sat in the Hokage's office with his head resting in his hands. Rie was at home, probably still hiding in the closet. Kakashi sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts. The Hokage came back in his office, carrying a tray with tea. He had left the troubled man to gather his thoughts as he went to make tea for the two of them. He poured two cups and handed one to the shinobi before taking a seat himself. Kakashi smiled appreciatively, before sighing again. As the silence dragged on, the Hokage finally asked, "Can I assume this visit is about Rie?"

The young father nodded weakly, staring deeply into his untouched tea. "She hates me Lord Hokage," he said in complete defeat.

The Hokage stared at him for a long moment. Not even the Hokage had seen the great Hatake this broken; not since the Fourth's death, and even then he hid his pain better than he was now. "We both know she doesn't hate you. What would make you think such a thing?" he asked patiently.

"What else am I supposed to think? It seems like the only time she shuts down anymore is because of something I have said or done. Kurenai or Iruka can come over and do or say the same thing as me and she is fine. It just seems like I am constantly doing something to scare her or make her remember something that horrible man did. I do nothing but hurt her; she should hate me" he lamented.

"Calm down" he said, placing a hand on the troubled man's shoulder. "Rie does not hate you" he said firmly. "She trusts you as much as she possibly can and there lies the problem.

"How can she trust me? I only cause her pain and fear. If Rie trusted me she wouldn't react the way she does" Kakashi said in self-pity.

"Let me ask you a question. Has Rie ever willingly slept with anyone around besides you?" Kakashi shook his head. "How about eating? Does she eat easily around anyone else?" Again Kakashi shook his head, his mood brightening slightly. "Has she started talking to anyone besides the two of us yet?" the Hokage asked. Kakashi looked up from his tea for the first time since the conversation began, shaking his head and offering the Hokage a weak smile.

"But if she trusts me than …" Kakashi asked, not quite sure how to finish his question.

"Then why does she react so strongly to you?" the Hokage offered. Kakashi nodded. "It's because you can hurt her."

"I would never," Kakashi said angrily standing up. "How could you even think that? I could never …"

The Hokage raised a hand, silencing the fuming shinobi. "I didn't mean it like that Kakashi" the Hokage said gently. The younger of the two deflated and sank back onto the couch. "I meant you have the ability to hurt her more than anyone else, not because you are a shinobi, but because of the trust she has in you. The people that can hurt you most are the ones closest to you" the Hokage said sagely.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, beginning to understand.

"When someone you really trust hurts you, or lets you down, it hurts so much more than if someone else did the same thing. It hurts on an emotional level that is extremely deep; you should be able to understand that" the Hokage said knowingly.

"Yeah, I do now that you explained it" Kakashi said quietly, deep in thought.

"You also have to consider that because of the trust she has in you, she leaves herself vulnerable. That is scary for anyone, but it's even worse for someone who has been repeatedly hurt. Rie knows how vulnerable she is to you and it scares her, and probably makes her even more over reactive than usual. Don't blame her though. She loves you, and I can see it on her face that she feels guilty every time she reacts strongly to you."

"It just hurts. I love that little girl more than I ever thought was possible and I have only known her a few months. I hate to see her in any sort of pain, and to know I am the cause of it is the worst feeling in the world" Kakashi said the last bit with a slight waver in his voice.

"Welcome to parenthood Kakashi" the Hokage said smiling. "Just give her time and love her in the meantime. Things will get better as she heals. I promise. I will warn you though, that being a father will never be easy" the Hokage said with an evil grin.

End Flashback:

Kakashi kneeled down in front of his trembling daughter trying to see how out of it she was. "Rie" he said gently. No reaction. "Rie" he tried again with more force, but still with no results. "Rie!" When the girl continued to stare into space and tremble, Kakashi cursed under his breath. He knew she was back at that horrible house with that evil man, once called her father, and it scared him.

Slowly he crawled toward her. "Rie, I'm going to come over there" he said, watching her closely for a reaction. "Okay Rie," he said upon reaching her, "I'm just going to rub your back." After a bit of that Kakashi slowly gathered the disconnected girl into his lap and began to rock back and forth in a soothing motion.

"I'm right here Rie; it's me, Kakashi. You are safe and we are here in Konoha at training ground 7. No one is here but us and no one is going to hurt you" he said soothingly, as he continued to rock and rub her back. "Breathe in … and breathe out. I'll do it with you, breathe in," and Kakashi took a deep breath before letting it out, "and out. Look at the trees and the grass. Here feel this rock," he said gently as he placed a rock in her hand, trying to get her back in the present. This went on for a few minutes as Rie's shaking began to slow and her breathing evened out.

Kakashi smiled when he saw her blink a few times and her eyes begin to focus on her surroundings. "Kakashi?" she asked softly. He smiled at her gently and hugged her closer. "I'm so sorry" she said as she buried her head into his stomach.

"No Rie, I'm sorry" he said as caringly as possible. She hugged him back and turned her face to look up at him. "But you can't just run off like that. I was so afraid something had happened to you" he said gently. "Rie, I was so worried when you were in the hospital and I didn't even know you then. If something like that ever happened again I … I just don't know if I could live with myself."

Rie sat up and wiped a tear from his eye. Rie was one of the only people to have ever seen Kakashi cry and the only person that he wasn't bothered by when it did happen. "I'm sorry Kakashi, I didn't mean to worry you, I just got bored" Rie said guiltily as she hugged him around the neck.

He picked his little girl up in his arms and headed toward home. "I know you didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry I over reacted" Kakashi said lovingly. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek to let him know all was forgiven.

_Whew, maybe I'm not in trouble _Rie thought as they neared home_._ "Oh, and you will still be punished for disobeying me. Let's see … no going to the park for a week. That sounds fair." _CRAP!_


	5. Nighttime Concerns

_A/N: _This chapter is dedicated to anyone who can find it is their hearts to forgive me for being gone so long. I did feel bad about that so I made this chapter extra-long, a roughly 800 words longer than any chapter I have ever written. I added a lot of new stuff to this one! Oh and a heads up, Guy might be a little bit OOC. I tried to make it feasible and explain why he is acting oddly, but he is back to his same youthful self by the end. I have been out of the game for a while so please review and let me know how this chapter was.

I don't even have my own insurance so how could I possibly own Naruto?

School is ridiculously busy this semester so I can't promise when the next chapter will be up, but I promise to do my best.

…

_Rie was surrounded by flames; maniacal laughter seemed to come from all directions. She tried to run, but every direction she tried only took her deeper into the labyrinth of flames. Rie was getting burned and began to lose hope of ever getting out. Then out of the flames appeared the one man that would haunt the girl for the rest of her life. Her father stood looming ever her with a vicious snarl on his face. He was just like she remembered him and it chilled Rie to her very core._

"_I … I … th… thought … you were dead" she squeaked._

"_I will never leave you alone my little curse" he snarled as he grabbed the terrified girl by the back of the neck and thrust her into the heart of the fire._

Rie screamed out in pain causing Kakashi to come running into the room with his kunai raised. He lowered it when he saw Rie thrashing about on the floor. He called out her name as he pulled the blanket off of her, only to see that she was already awake. She whimpered softly as she scooted back against the wall. Seeing how panicked she was he went over to Rie taking her in his arms speaking soothing nothings. As she calmed down she started to sob into his shoulder still quivering in fear.

"Ssh Rie" he soothed. "It was just another nightmare" he said with worry shadowing his words. This was the fifth night in row.

He picked her up and headed down stairs "how about some hot chocolate." She nodded into his shoulder still crying. The tears were not as much of fear now, but shame, guilt, and frustration. She felt shame and frustration over the nightmares and guilt over waking Kakashi every night; neither of them had, had much sleep the last few nights.

Kakashi carried his daughter into the kitchen and put water on the stove before getting two cups out of the cabinet and putting a chocolate mix in them. When the water was hot he turned off the stove and poured the water into the cups and stirred the mix in; all while still holding his daughter against his chest.

It was a ritual they had had ever since Kakashi adopted Rie. Every time she had a nightmare Rie would scream waking both herself and Kakashi, who would burst into her room ready to fend off an attack. It didn't matter how many times it happened, he would always react as if her life were at stake even though after the first week he knew it was most likely a nightmare. He was never willing to risk that there might actually be a threat. After he calmed her down Kakashi would then carry her down stairs where they would have hot chocolate together. Though nights when Rie had a nightmare were stressful and hard on both Hatakes, they appreciated the predictability of how it would play out after they were awakened.

They were both sitting on the couch hot chocolate in hand. "Rie I've been thinking." Kakashi paused. "This is my fault. If I hadn't yelled at you the other day … I know I can't lose my cool, I'm so sorry honey." Kakashi felt guilty even though he had apologized every night since he had yelled at her.

"It's not your fault; I've always had nightmares off and on" Rie assured. "Just because a wave of them started the night you yelled at me doesn't mean it's your fault." Kakashi still looked unsure. "You should go back to bed. I can stay up by myself; it's ok." Rie said knowing that she would never be able to get back to sleep. But Kakashi stayed, just like every other night.

…

By the next morning even Lee knew something was wrong. Team Guy was at the training grounds; all except TenTen who was running late. "I think they are right Rie, something is bothering you" Lee started. "Neji said you got in trouble with your dad but that can't still be bothering you this much." Rie flinched at the word dad picturing her dream. Neji noticed and gave her a funny look. Rie just shook her head at Neji as if to say that it was nothing.

Guy watched the whole exchange with a grim look on his face. He knew something was very wrong with his smallest team member and he was deeply concerned. The problem was he knew that asking her about it wouldn't work. Guy didn't actually think Rie was mute. She didn't speak through gestures and he had heard comments from Kakashi and a few others that were close to her that made it sound like she could talk, but he also knew that she wouldn't.

Guy wasn't as oblivious as he came across. He knew something was really off with the girl and he was afraid if he pushed that she would distance herself even more. It was obvious, well to everyone but Lee, that Rie was hesitant to get close to them. The girl was distant, hated being touched, didn't talk, was overly obedient, and Guy had seen her flinch before now. He knew where these signs pointed and if it was anyone but Kakashi Hatake's daughter he would have already talked to the Hokage about what he had seen.

_Kakashi would never hurt her_ Guy assured himself as he saw TenTen enter the training grounds at a run. She apologized for being late and he started his morning brief. Rie yawned soon after Guy started talking."Rie that's not very youthful" Guy said before continuing what he was saying. Rie yawned twice more during the brief; each time being reprimanded by Guy and also increasing his concern.

Rie and Neji were once again training together. Once it was learned that Rie had a dojutsu Guy started pairing her with Neji on a regular basis during training. They both fought by relying on their dojutsu giving them a similar approach. They had different taijutsu styles, but how they thought about it was closer to each other than anyone else. Guy was also hoping pairing Rie with Neji would help improve her taijutsu. Rie was by far the weakest on the team in combat. She won fights mostly based on her ability to use other's weaknesses against them. She might not have been that good at attacking or even defending, but she used her small size and speed to her advantage and was excellent at dodging, making her a good challenge for Neji.

As the two of them were walking over to the side of the training ground they would be using to train Neji turned to Rie saying "you haven't been sleeping much, have you." It wasn't a question as much as a statement. Rie blushed knowing that she couldn't deny it. Neji observed her a moment before heading to his starting position.

Rie and Neji were in the middle of a sparring match, with both of their eye jutsus activated. "So this is your new team mate" a gruff male voice said seemingly out of nowhere. With her Gyoshi-ho Rie saw Neji tense at the voice. On the outside the only thing that changed was his expression which went from call and stoic to a slight sneer.

"Hiashi what are you doing here" said Guy quickly approaching the group.

"Sorry to interrupt your training Guy. I just had to inform Neji that I will be going on a mission and that he does not need to stop by my study this afternoon" he said not sounding the least bit apologetic.

"Yes sir" Neji said bowing. Rie could see he was still very tense and wondered about the relationship between the two.

Once Hiashi left Neji turned to his small companion "that's my uncle." The words sounded like venom but Neji still held his composure. He then turned to Guy "Rie needs a rest; is that alright?" In truth Rie was completely exhausted, but it still shocked her that Neji had noticed.

Guy gave Rie a funny look "are you feeling alright Rie? You don't seem to have as much energy as normal." Rie nodded, but Guy was unconvinced. "Then I guess its ok" He said smiling to mask his concern.

By this point Rie had a piercing headache; she laid back in the grass looking for some relief. The whole time Rie lay there Neji was throwing fierce punches and kicks still training. After a while Rie noticed and was confused. She couldn't understand why that Hiashi fellow had bothered her friend so much. He was by no means nice, but he wasn't mean either. After puzzling it for a while Rie just chalked it up to a mystery that she might never know the answer to.

Rie waited on Neji to calm down before resuming her training. This time the two of them worked on Kunai skills.

Once Guy dismissed the team Neji again started toward the Hatake house. Kakashi had told him it really wasn't necessary, but he still walked her home every day.

Once at her door Neji turned to Rie "get some sleep tonight. I need a real training session tomorrow" and with that he was gone.

Kakashi came home just before dinner and he looked awful. Again Rie felt a pang of guilt over keeping him up every night. Dinner was mostly quiet that night with both of them exhausted. Kakashi sighed after seeing Rie about to nod off into her dinner for the fourth time that night. "Rie I think it's time we told your Grandpa."

"Kakashi you can't. I'm not weak and I don't want anyone looking down on me" Rie said defensively.

"Do you really think your Grandpa will think any less of you? Besides if it goes any farther it could get dangerous to perform your ninja duties." He saw the look of shame on her face and added "how about we give it one more night and see what happens. They haven't been this bad for a long time. I'm sorry honey but I'm at a loss here" Kakashi said guiltily.

"I guess that's fair, but we can't tell him with his councilors around. Then I'd never go on a real mission" Rie reasoned.

"I'd never think of it. Now let's get to bed" he said yawning as he cleaned the table

…

As Kakashi carried Rie down the stairs that night after another nightmare she sighed "I guess we have to tell Grandpa now" Rie mumbled with her face still in Kakashi's shoulder.

"That's what we agreed on. Do you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate" he asked trying to cheer her up. Rie nodded mutely.

The next morning in the Hokage's office

"Where could Kakashi sensei be" whined Naruto. "And he's going to come in here with some lame excuse."

"I'm worried, this is bad even for Kakashi sensei; what if something happened to him" Sakura questioned.

"He is very capable of taking care of himself. I just wish he would get here; I have other teams to meet with" the Hokage sighed. "Iruka go ahead and bring in the next team" he said after a few minutes with still no Kakashi.

Reluctantly team Guy entered. Guy blushed "I'm sorry to report that we aren't all here yet. Rie seems to be running late. It must be my eternal rival Kakashi's doing" he said halfheartedly not really believing it himself, but not wanting the genin to worry more than they already were.

"Well actually unlike her father Rie is very prompt" the Hokage said while exchanging a worried look with Iruka. "Let's go see if we can find them. Iruka can you give out the next couple missions until I return?"

The Hatake house

The Hokage entered the house leaving both teams outside. He chuckled slightly at the sight. Kakashi was completely zonked on the couch with Rie laying across his chest also dead to the world. There were empty coffee cups turned over on the floor. Neji entered beside him pausing at the sight "I don't mean to impose Lord Hokage, but I think we should let them sleep."

"Do you know something Neji" Guy asked coming up beside his student. Lee, TenTen, and team Kakashi waited obediently on the street like they were told. Those at the door could hear some sort of argument unfolding, but none felt the need to intervene unless it came to blows.

Neji looked back to make sure the others were out of ear shot. "Not in great detail, but I do know that Rie has barley slept for, by what I can tell, nearly a week. By the look of things the same can be said for Kakashi sensei."

"Neji why didn't you inform me of this earlier" Guy asked as he looked at his youngest student with a troubled expression that only the Hokage saw.

The Hokage sighed "you are right Neji it probably is best to let them sleep." He shook his head "I wish they would tell me when something is wrong. I'll talk to them later, but for now it is probably best kept between us."

"Yes sir" both Neji and Guy responded.

As Neji started back outside Guy placed a hand on the Hokage's shoulder to stop him from following. "Lord Hokage" Guy said uncharacteristically quiet. The Hokage raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment, waiting on the other man to continue. "Can I talk to you before you meet with them" Guy asked hesitantly.

"Is everything alright" the Hokage asked in concern.

"It's just … I just need to speak with you" Guy explained hesitantly. The Hokage nodded while giving the jonin a worried glance. The Hokage had only seen Guy act this way a few times and knew the man was deeply troubled about something.

They came outside to an anxious group of onlookers. "The Hatake's are dismissed from their duties today. Team Guy will complete their mission as planned and team 7 will train by themselves. Make sure and work hard I will have someone come check on you later."

"Are Rie and Kakashi sensei alright" asked a worried Naruto.

"They are perfectly fine, don't worry. Neji would you mind coming by my office later?"

…

Guy paused at the Hokage's door before knocking softly, half hoping he wouldn't answer. Guy gritted his teeth when he was told to enter. He walked slowly into the office still gritting his teeth and staring at the ground. "Guy are you going to tell me what's going on" the Hokage asked gently after a few minutes passed without Guy saying anything.

"Sorry Lord Hokage" Guy mumbled still looking at the floor.

"It's alright, but please go on. You haven't acted like this since that incident with Kakashi after the forth died" the Hokage paused a moment before his eyes widened in worry "you don't think Kakashi would be thinking of doing that again do you?"

"No, no Kakashi seems very content to me. I don't think we have to worry about Kakashi repeating his father's mistake anytime soon" Guy reassured.

"Then what's going on Guy" the Hokage questioned once again.

"I'm worried about the safety of one of my students" Guy said after a deep breath. "They are distant, obedient to the point of attempting things that they know they can't physically do even if I don't know that, they don't talk much, hate being touched, and most concerning I have seen them flinch on multiple occasions even though they were never in any danger."

"Guy are you suggesting that one of your students is being abused" the Hokage asked seriously.

"It's the conclusion I keep coming to" Guy answered with a sigh and sat heavily into a chair. "I didn't want to say anything, but I can't risk the safety of one of my students" he said resolutely.

"Guy you were right in coming to me. I will make sure that they are fine and no one is hurting them" the Hokage assured. "Wait Guy you never told me which one of your students we are talking about" he said in realization.

"I actually wanted to see your reaction before I said" Guy responded rubbing the back of his head embarrassed. The Hokage gave him a calculating look but stayed quiet. "I have been talking about Rie" he said softly.

Suddenly it all made since to the Hokage and he started chucking softly. "Lord Hokage this is no laughing matter" Guy shouted shocked.

"I'm sorry Guy" he said composing himself. "I was laughing in relief not because the situation is funny."

"What do you mean" Guy asked narrowing his eyes.

"I can assure you that no one is hurting Rie. Kakashi would kill anyone that tried" he answered smiling to himself.

"Lord Hokage I didn't come here lightly and I'm not making this up" Guy said offended. "I am positive something is wrong."

"Calm down Guy" the Hokage eased. "I know you didn't come here lightly, especially since this is concerning the daughter of your best friend and you are essentially accusing him. It's never discussed, but you should be able to figure out that Kakashi adopted Rie." Guy visibly relaxed "Kakashi spent most of his time after he passed his psychological test after the incident out of the village until he got Rie. Most people, even his friends, think that Kakashi had Rie in another country and brought her back here with him when the mission was over."

"How old was she when he got her" Guy asked slowly putting the pieces together.

"She was seven when he found her" he answered looking out the window remembering the day they entered the village; Rie barley hanging on to life and Kakashi only half conscious with chakra exhaustion.

"How did Kakashi end up with Rie" Guy asked with a hard edge to his voice and a stony expression on his face.

"By your tone of voice I am sure you have a guess" the Hokage answered sighing. "I am sure at some point either Rie or myself will be forced to tell you some things, but until then just carry on as you have and let me know if anything in particular happens that you think I should know about. I can assure you though that Kakashi takes excellent care of that little girl and no one is causing her harm."

"Thank you lord Hokage! I will do my best to train the young Hatake in the power of youth and I will let you know of anything of concern" Guy shouted while giving the Hokage his famous nice guy pose.

"Guy thank you" the Hokage said sincerely as Guy got to the door. "You just proved to me that I did make the right choice in putting Rie on your team." Guy shot him another blinding smile before exiting the office.

…

Kakashi and Rie jumped at the knock on the door. They exchanged a look before he went to answer it.

"Well hello Neji" he said surprised when he opened the door.

"Sir, the Hokage wants to see you and Rie" he said looking down as if embarrassed. Kakashi patted his daughters head in reassurance and started out the door. Neji turned to Rie with a smirk "when I told you to get some sleep, I meant at night." Rie shot him a nasty glare as the three walked to the tower.

When they got to the Hokage's office Neji waited outside as Rie and Kakashi reluctantly entered, both knew they were in trouble. "I'm glad you two decided to show up this time. Now would you like to tell me where you were this morning?"

Rie looked down and clutched Kakashi's hand. Kakashi answered "I'm sorry Lord Hokage." He hesitated before continuing "we fell asleep on the couch and didn't have an alarm down stairs."

"That's not like you Kakashi. There is something more going on here and I expect one of you to tell me" he said with only a slight edge to his voice.

Kakashi looked at Rie for the okay and she nodded. "You see sir, neither one of us have been able to sleep for quite a while now." At this point both of them were avoiding the Hokage's stare.

His voice softened "now there has to be a reason, do you have any idea what it is?"

"Actually sir we do … Rie's nightmares have been really bad" Kakashi said hesitantly as he tightened his grip on Rie's hand.

"Why didn't you tell me, I'm sure we could have come up with a solution." The seriousness in his voice returned as he continued "I am very disappointed in the both of you. It is reckless for a ninja to act this way."

He turned his attention to you and softened both his expression and voice "Rie, have you had anything to eat?" The small girl shook your head, still looking at the floor in shame. "Neji would you come in here" he called out. "If you could do one more thing for me? Take Rie and make sure she gets something to eat; I need to speak with her father."

…

Rie and Neji ended up at a roman stand. Neji noticed that Rie wasn't eating he turned to her. "Are you alright Rie" he asked with concern lacing his words.

"Kakashi is in trouble for trying to help me, how do you think I feel" she spat out. Neji stared at her with a slack jaw. "What" she finally asked in annoyance not realizing what had him so amazed.

"You can talk" he stammered.


End file.
